Out-Smarting Yourself

Better Phone Allstate...

Home improvement Guru Bob Vila will be talking this weekend about a new house just finished in Florida designed to withstand a Category 5 hurricane.

I’m not impressed nor am I convinced of the validity of their design.

You see, in a prior life I was quite the guru myself in doing fancy footings designed to handle lots of weight and high wind loads. In fact, I helped design and build nearly four hundred structures in the ten to thirty story height range over my illustrious career, none of which ever fell down or blew over (as far as I know.)

I have industrial smokestacks standing near the outer banks of North Carolina, in the earthquake prone areas north of San Francisco, and a monster 250’ tall structure in Bogaloosa, Louisiana that made it through Katrina last month.

What amazes me is that people think that they can drive piles into sand and hold down a house facing the onslaught of 150 MPH winds, a 20’ storm surge, and 20’ monster waves.

No darned way, Jose.

The problem with using pilings in sand is that when the sand gets wet, it becomes something kids call MUD, and MUD is a terrible support for concrete and steel.

I wonder if Bob Vila and the Weather Channel's Jim Cantori will volunteer to ride this next one out in their new "wonder house?"